The present invention relates to a machining and assembling apparatus with using laser beams.
FIG. 1 shows a construction of an example of a conventional laser machining apparatus which is disclosed in the joint reasearch and development report in "Composite Manufacturing System using Super High Peformance Laser", Large Scale Project sponsored by Agency of Industrial Science and Technology of Japan. In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 1 depicts a CO.sub.2 laser oscillator having an output power of 10 KW, 2 a console of the laser oscillator 1, 3 a 5 KW laser machining mechanism which is provided a welding head and a tempering head, 4 a control device for the welding head, 5 a control device for the tempering head and 6 a 10 KW laser machining mechanism. Reference numerals 7 and 8 depict a control panel and a console of the laser machining mechanism 6. A reference numeral 9 depicts a laser machining managing device for managing the laser machining apparatus totally, 10 a center post having a switch mechanism for switching laser beam produced by the laser oscillator 1 between the laser machining mechanisms 3 and 6 and 11 an optical path control device responsive to a control signal from the laser machining managing device 9 for controlling the center post 10. Laser beam transmission paths are depicted by 3a and 6a.
In the conventional laser machining apparatus constructed as above, laser beam derived from the CO.sub.2 laser oscillator 1 is branched at the center post 10 and transmitted through the optical paths 3a and 6a to the laser machining mechanisms 3 and 6 in time sharing manner to realize time shared welding and tempering of a workpiece, so that the workpiece can be welded and tempered successively. Therefore, when it is desired to further machine the workpiece, for example, to cut it, another machine which as a laser oscillator having output power enough to cut it has to be prepared. An example of such laser oscillator may be a TEM.sub.oo mode laser whose output power is as small as 1 KW and whose laser condensing performance is excellent.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a conventional machining and assembling apparatus using such laser machining apparatus as above, in which reference numerals 40, 41 and 42 depict different laser oscillators. In this example, the laser oscillator 40 is a single mode CO.sub.2 pulse laser oscillator, the laser oscillator 41 is a medial power, multi-mode CO.sub.2 laser oscillator and the laser oscillator 42 is a high power CO.sub.2 laser oscillator. A reference numeral 43 depicts a cutting station, 44 a welding station and 45 a heat treatment station.
The laser oscillator 40 and the cutting station 43 constitute a laser machining station, and second and third machining stations are constituted with the laser oscillator 41 and the welding station 44 and the laser oscillator 42 and the heat treatment station 5, respectively. In FIG. 2, reference numerals 46a and 46b depict assembling apparata, respectively, and 47a and 47b machining centers, respectively. Reference numerals 48, 49 and 50 show a machining process to be performed in the machining station constituted with the machining centers 47a, 47b and 47c, a laser machining process to be performed in the laser machining stations and an assembling process to be performed in the assembling apparatua 46a and 46b, respectively.
In the conventional machining and assembling apparatus using laser beam, a workpiece is supplied to the machining process 48, the laser machining process 49 or the assembling process 50 and, after a desired operation in a desired one of the processes completes, it is transported to another process and so on. After a final assembling operation, the workpiece is totally checked.
As mentioned above, in the conventional apparatus, the machining process, the laser machining process and the assembling process are discretely provided and a workpiece is transported between these processes. Alternatively, it is possible to transport the workpiece continuously by means of a belt-conveyer.
That is, since, in the machining and assembling apparatus using the conventional laser machining apparatus constructed as shown in FIG. 1, in which laser beam derived from a single laser oscillator is branched on demand to perform a welding or tempering of a workpiece, another laser oscillator is necessary when other machining such as cutting of workpiece is to be performed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the workpiece has to be transported along a complicated path extending between the respective machining stations and, in order to weld or temper the workpiece after cutting, it is necessary to transport it to the respective laser machining stations.
In the conventional apparatus which employs the continuous transportation system and has two different welding steps, the corresponding number of the laser machining stations must be provided, causing a line construction to be high cost.